1. The Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates generally to kitchen utensils, and more particularly, but not necessarily entirely, to devices and methods for forming items in a desired shape and methods for constructing such devices.
2. Description of Related Art
It is common practice to shape food items in a form to enhance the appearance of the food and increase the enjoyment of meals. For example, it is common to pour pancake batter into a pan or on a griddle in a configuration to form different shapes. Some simple shapes may be adequately formed without the use of shaping devices. For example, disc or egg shaped items may be easily formed by placing the batter in the desired configuration and cooking the batter such that the pancake is formed in the desired shape. Other more complex shapes, such as animals or letters, may be more difficult to form without the assistance of a mold or form.
Pancake molds are known in the art to confine the flow of batter to a desired shape until the batter is cooked into a firm condition. However, the pancake molds known in the art are commonly difficult to manipulate. The molds commonly have a single handle which makes the mold difficult to control to prevent damaging the pancake. Moreover, the handles are often formed as a rigid member extending from the mold which takes up considerable space and makes storing the mold difficult.
The known pancake molds are commonly formed of a material and configuration that does not heat and cool evenly thereby making it difficult to cook pancakes uniformly. Also, it is often difficult to remove the mold from the pancake due to the pancake sticking on the mold. The known pancake molds are also often difficult to clean and commonly rust. Moreover, since the molds are repeatedly heated and cooled, the molds often lose their shape and warp after time. This may make the molds unsuitable for use since batter may be allowed to flow out of the mold and the desired shape may not be formed.
The prior art is thus characterized by several disadvantages that are addressed by the present disclosure. The present disclosure minimizes, and in some aspects eliminates, the above-mentioned failures, and other problems, by utilizing the methods and structural features described herein.
The features and advantages of the disclosure will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by the practice of the disclosure without undue experimentation. The features and advantages of the disclosure may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.